Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-30
PARLIAMENT.
Nh. GLADSTONE conEs 10 TIE rRoHr
AGAIN.
The Debate on the Irish Crininal-Lav
Amendment Bili Continued
strsng Speech.
rBy Anglo Amcr,osn cable 70 III. Dispatch.

LONDON, March 29.--In the House OF
Commons to-day Mr.. Gladstone re-
sumed the debate on the Irish criminal
law amendment bill. He was loudly
cheered when he arose. He said that
in an issue so grave proposals so ex-
IRENE az these now put forth by the
Government required ample time for
consideration. He found himself bound
to support Parnell's amendment be
cause the ground upon which Bal
four based the Governments case
was absolutely insufficient and unsatis-
factory. The Governments bill, In
stead of being cure for Irish ills, or
even palliation, was measure that
would aggravate the deepest-seated and
worst disorders. with this coercion
BILL" exclaimed Mr.. Gladstone, "the
prospect OF Cancellation has vanished
into thin air. The Government intends
to exclude the land bill, which was the
main Recommendation of the commits
sion which las just completed an
exhaustive investigation of the Irish
troubles. Nothing remains but the
figure of coercion-bare, bold, and
gaunt-ala too familiar. The Right
Honorable Chief Secretary for Ireland
has attempted to excuse the proposals
on the ground that crime in Ireland
during the last three years has in
creased, but he has followed an unusual
course in refraining from giving the
House officials information proving
his allegations. The statistics of
crime in Ireland were against the
Government. Take the instance given
of threatening letters. Ia 1885 ABB
of such letters were received.
in 1856 but rs more were received.
That hardly furnished ground for ask
ing Parliament to assent to the extreme
measure of coercion. Other classes of
crime amounted in 1885 TO SO, and in
1886 to SIT. Opposition cheers. This
increase was described as the main rea-
son for the extreme demand Of the
Government. u Mr.. Balfour had fur
Their private information let him speak
It was the first time he (Gladstone)
knew of anonymous assertions being
imposed on Parliament in support OF
demand forlegislation." Cheers. Here
he referred in detail to the cases adj
duced by Balfour of League tyranny over
persons. Continuing he said that boy
cotting was bad enough, but it was not
confined to the Nationalist. He knew
a Protestant clergyman who had been
deprived of his living because he was
Home Ruler. Continual allusion had
been made to previous Liberal CO.
ercion proposals. For the pres
ent bill there was no excuse.
A demand was made upon the House
to commit the most formidable breach
of trust that a popular assembly
could perpetrate to relax the conditions
upon which alone Parliament should
sanction a change in the criminal law
in order that the law might fall with
increased stringency upon a particu-
lar portion of the Queens sub
jects. The opposition would insist
upon having the fullest opportunity to
examine the provisions of the bill.
Every Irish and every English member
should have the fullest scope for pre-
senting his views [cheers] and for sift-
ing and scrutinizing the extreme pro-
possls of the Government. Among its
most insulting and exasperating pro-
posals-the worst ever submitted
to Parliament-was the provi-
sion that Irish trials be held
in London. He had never known
such blow at the national feeling Of
Ireland. The Government could have
devised nothing more likely TO aggre-
gate the very existing evil. AS to the
permanent duration of the bill, the
proposals made ones blood boil. To
establish what was formerly only a
temporary remedy as permanent rule
Of existence for society in Ireland
would put the brand Of inferi-
ority upon Ireland forever, recognizing
as a fixed principle that force
was the remedy. The lesson of many
years showed that force was no RENE
dy. Since the election of 1S85-since
the bulk Of the Liberals had judged
that it was both right and safe to grant
home rlle-Ireland had been free from
crime and outrage-a condition long
unknown. Why was this? 1t
was because the Irish people knew
that large-though insufficiently large
body of Liberals had adopted their in
terests, and would abide by them to
the last. Cheers. If the Liberals
acceded to the appeals of the Govern
ment the result would be retrogres-
sion. The Irish people would return
to the state of things which Liberal
efforts had already partly remedied.
So long as Ireland continued in her
present course of moderation, so long
would the Liberals be bound to perse-
we're in their endeayors to assist her.
The time would soon come when many
now supporting the cause of Ireland
would be added to many more F; when
deplorsble proposals, such as those OF
the Government, would no more be
associated with the name of Ireland,
and when itwould be seen that, in doing
what they could now to serve the Irish
cause, they were also serving the cause
Of the wide empire OF Great Britain.
prolonged cheering
Goschen tainted Gladstone with his
alliance with the National League, and
he asked him how he would continue TO
meet the Leagues constantly-increas-
ing demands until an absolute sepsra-
ton should be completed. Everybody
but the allies of the League
considered the state of Ireland
to be intolersble. The Govern
ment would be disgraced if it
refrained from frustrating the efforts
of the enemies of existing laws and
opponents of whatever remedial mea-
sures the Government might propose.
He regretted the absence from Mr..
Gladstone's speech of any condemna-
ton Of Irish crime or the violent lam
guage of Irish agitators. The Liberal
leader rather suggested q defence
of those crimes. The Government
based their case upon the nOto-
rious failure of the administration
Of justice. The proper administration
of the laws constituted the safety of in
diyiduals and was the only true guaran-
tee of life and liberty. Here he read
extracts from the judges charges on the
difficulties attendingthe administration
Of the laws. He asked whether this
evidence, though not statistical, should
be disregarded.
Was it not we'll known that jurors
were in danger of their lives? Were